We recruit MES engineers for integrators and manufacturers across North America, in life sciences and well beyond it, on retained, contingency and contract terms. That covers DeltaV MES (we still know it as Syncade), Siemens Opcenter Execution Pharma, Rockwell FactoryTalk PharmaSuite, Körber PAS-X, AVEVA MES and Sepasoft on Ignition, and the historian and data engineers on AVEVA PI who work alongside them.
The pharma build out is where most of the regulated MES demand comes from. Every new plant in the wave of US investment announced since 2025 needs electronic batch records, recipes and the integration between the shop floor and the business, and the engineers who’ve done that on a validated site are a small group. The platforms are moving at the same time. Emerson brought Syncade into the DeltaV family as DeltaV MES in 2024 and added a recipe importer in January 2026. Siemens ships Opcenter Execution Pharma twice a year. Rockwell rebuilt PharmaSuite 12 to run on Kubernetes in 2025, and Körber released PAS-X 3.4.2 with cell and gene therapy support in August 2026 and a SaaS version for smaller sites.
Most MES engineers spend a career on one instance of one system. That makes the pool deep on one platform and thin across them, so the brief needs to say which system, which version and whether the work is a new build, a migration or support. A DeltaV MES engineer and a PAS-X engineer aren’t interchangeable, and a search that pretends they are wastes everyone’s time.
We ask every MES engineer what they configured and what they owned. Recipes, electronic batch records and the integration with the control layer are different jobs, and the title on a resume rarely tells you which one they did. On regulated sites engineers work to 21 CFR Part 11 and GAMP 5, and that experience matters as much as the platform.
Outside life sciences the work looks different. We recruit MES engineers on AVEVA MES and on Ignition with Sepasoft for manufacturers and the integrators who serve them, where the job is more often performance and OEE, production tracking and quality than batch records. Demand there is driven by data. In Hexagon’s research 98% of manufacturers said they struggle with their data and 51% said their workforce lacks data analytics skills, and MES is where most of that data is collected. An engineer from that world can move into pharma with the right support, and a pharma MES engineer can move the other way, but neither is a like for like swap.
End users and integrators both hire MES engineers, and end users usually pay more. If you’re an integrator competing for the same person, what wins is usually the work: several systems instead of one, and a clear answer on what project comes next.
We placed MES engineers as part of a five hire retained search for a Virginia systems integrator that finished in under ten weeks (Case 01 on our Results page), and we keep MES contractors in our pools for project work and support cover (Case 02).
If you’re hiring an MES engineer, book a call and we’ll tell you how the search should run for your platform and region.
Questions
Is DeltaV MES the same as Syncade?
Yes. Emerson renamed Syncade as DeltaV MES in 2024 when it brought its MES into the DeltaV Automation Platform.
Which MES platforms do you recruit for?
DeltaV MES, Siemens Opcenter Execution Pharma, Rockwell FactoryTalk PharmaSuite, Körber PAS-X, AVEVA MES and Sepasoft MES on Ignition, plus AVEVA PI historian engineers.
Do you recruit MES engineers outside pharma?
Yes. We recruit MES engineers on AVEVA MES and Sepasoft on Ignition for manufacturers and integrators outside life sciences, as well as on the pharma platforms.
Do you recruit MES contractors?
Yes, on W2 or 1099, for builds, upgrades and support cover.
Related
Sources: Emerson, DeltaV Automation Platform, March 2024. Emerson, DeltaV Workflow Management and DeltaV MES, April 2024. Emerson, recipe creation for life sciences, January 2026. Siemens, What’s new in Opcenter Execution Pharma 2605. Rockwell Automation, FactoryTalk PharmaSuite 12.00. Körber, new PAS-X MES version. ISPE, GAMP 5 Second Edition. Smart Industry, Hexagon manufacturing data survey.
